What Are Merchant Services and Why Do They Matter?

Merchant services are more than just a merchant account for credit card processing. They’re actually a whole package of payment transaction products and services for merchants: point-of-sale systems (including terminals, payment gateways, online processing and dialup services), gift and loyalty card programs, ACH (Automated Clearing House) services, check guarantee and check conversion services. Clearly, merchant services are important because they’re used by businesses on a daily basis.

When you visit the website of a merchant services provider (like this one for Merchant Express®), you’ll find pages and pages of information about their products and services. We break ours down into categories like Our Services, Services by Industry, Rates & Fees and Free Resources. That’s because we want our clients to be well educated about merchant services in general and credit card processing in particular. The best way to do that, we believe, is to make the information readily available to them.

One important aspect of merchant services is that they be customized for each individual business. A reputable provider takes the time to get to know merchants and their businesses so they can customize their package of merchant services. A retail merchant in a brick-and-mortar setting has different product and service needs than a restaurant operation; e-tailers have specific requirements that differ considerably from a professional services provider.

When it comes to credit card processing itself, times are changing — and rapidly! For decades, there was a one-size-fits-all approach. Relying first on flatbed credit card imprinters, the industry eventually transitioned to credit card terminals with integrated card readers to collect credit card information for transmission to the processor. In the last few years, however, high-tech advancements and the Internet have made alternatives like wireless, mobile and online credit card processing available to merchants across a variety of categories. Merchant Express offers all these options, both singularly and in combination, because we are committed to meeting all the processing requirements of our clients.

Naturally, rates and fees figure prominently in merchant services. After all, we’re in business just like you are! But, since we take the time to understand the nature of your business, we also understand that you’re operating under a budget. That’s why we offer cost-effective solutions like TransFreedom™, which provides state-of-the-art credit card processing for one low monthly fee with no hidden fees and no statement hassles.

When you’re ready to experience merchant services at their best, get in touch with Merchant Express. We offer a complete selection of high-tech options, customer service that’s won us an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and a budget-friendly pricing policy. Merchant services really do matter to your business and its growth — let Merchant Express show you how much!